Alexander McClelland Will Lead Community-Based HIV/STBBI Public Health Observatory
Alexander McClelland, professor in the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, has received a Team Grant worth $982,541 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to create a national network of partners “to strengthen Canada’s response to HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs).”
The observatory will work directly with groups representing sex workers, migrants, people who use drugs, and those living with HIV, along with researchers, legal experts, and public health practitioners. The overall team is led by community organizations including the HIV Legal Network, Butterfly: Asian Migrant Sex Worker Network, Community Alliance for Accessible Treatment, HIV and AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario – HALCO, Maggie’s Toronto Sex Worker Action Project, Stella, l’amie de Maimie, and the Oasis Program at Ottawa’s Somerset West Community Health Center, among others.
“Our Observatory draws together academic expertise with the expertise of lived experience,” wrote McClelland. “The justification for this work is clear. Public health surveillance plays a critical role in preventing HIV and STBBI transmission, yet trust in these systems is fragile. Concerns about consent, privacy, and data use persist, particularly among marginalized communities who face structural inequities, stigma, and criminalization.”
The key outcomes for the project include:
- Improving health equity by building trust and collaboration between marginalized groups and public health.
- Strengthening relationships between public health and communities through ongoing dialogue and shared decision-making.
- Expanding knowledge so communities can more confidently navigate and influence public health policy.